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  <div class="section" id="writing-codeigniter-documentation">
<h1>Writing CodeIgniter Documentation<a class="headerlink" href="#writing-codeigniter-documentation" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h1>
<p>CodeIgniter uses Sphinx to generate its documentation in a variety of formats,
using reStructuredText to handle the formatting.  If you are familiar with
Markdown or Textile, you will quickly grasp reStructuredText.  The focus is
on readability and user friendliness.
While they can be quite technical, we always write for humans!</p>
<p>A local table of contents should always be included, like the one below.
It is created automatically by inserting the following:</p>
<div class="highlight-ci"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="o">..</span> <span class="nx">contents</span><span class="o">::</span>
        <span class="o">:</span><span class="nx">local</span><span class="o">:</span>

<span class="o">..</span> <span class="nx">raw</span><span class="o">::</span> <span class="na">html</span>

<span class="o">&lt;</span><span class="nx">div</span> <span class="nx">class</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s2">&quot;custom-index container&quot;</span><span class="o">&gt;&lt;/</span><span class="nx">div</span><span class="o">&gt;</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="contents local topic" id="contents">
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#tools-required" id="id1">Tools Required</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#page-and-section-headings-and-subheadings" id="id2">Page and Section Headings and Subheadings</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#method-documentation" id="id3">Method Documentation</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="custom-index container"></div><p>The &lt;div&gt; that is inserted as raw HTML is a hook for the documentation&#8217;s
JavaScript to dynamically add links to any function and method definitions
contained in the current page.</p>
<div class="section" id="tools-required">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id1">Tools Required</a><a class="headerlink" href="#tools-required" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>To see the rendered HTML, ePub, PDF, etc., you will need to install Sphinx
along with the PHP domain extension for Sphinx.  The underlying requirement
is to have Python installed.  Lastly, you will install the CI Lexer for
Pygments, so that code blocks can be properly highlighted.</p>
<div class="highlight-bash"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>easy_install <span class="s2">&quot;sphinx==1.2.3&quot;</span>
easy_install <span class="s2">&quot;sphinxcontrib-phpdomain==0.1.3.post1&quot;</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Then follow the directions in the README file in the <tt class="samp docutils literal"><span class="pre">cilexer</span></tt> folder
inside the documentation repository to install the CI Lexer.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="page-and-section-headings-and-subheadings">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id2">Page and Section Headings and Subheadings</a><a class="headerlink" href="#page-and-section-headings-and-subheadings" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>Headings not only provide order and sections within a page, but they also
are used to automatically build both the page and document table of contents.
Headings are formed by using certain characters as underlines for a bit of
text.  Major headings, like page titles and section headings also use
overlines.  Other headings just use underlines, with the following hierarchy:</p>
<div class="highlight-ci"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># with overline for page titles</span>
<span class="o">*</span> <span class="nx">with</span> <span class="nx">overline</span> <span class="k">for</span> <span class="nx">major</span> <span class="nx">sections</span>
<span class="o">=</span> <span class="k">for</span> <span class="nx">subsections</span>
<span class="o">-</span> <span class="k">for</span> <span class="nx">subsubsections</span>
<span class="o">^</span> <span class="k">for</span> <span class="nx">subsubsubsections</span>
<span class="s2">&quot; for subsubsubsubsections (!)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>The <a class="reference download internal" href="../_downloads/ELDocs.tmbundle.zip"><tt class="xref download docutils literal"><span class="pre">TextMate</span> <span class="pre">ELDocs</span> <span class="pre">Bundle</span></tt></a> can help you
create these with the following tab triggers:</p>
<div class="highlight-ci"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nx">title</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span>

        <span class="c1">##########</span>
        <span class="nx">Page</span> <span class="nx">Title</span>
        <span class="c1">##########</span>

<span class="nx">sec</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span>

        <span class="o">*************</span>
        <span class="nx">Major</span> <span class="nx">Section</span>
        <span class="o">*************</span>

<span class="nx">sub</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span>

        <span class="na">Subsection</span>
        <span class="o">==========</span>

<span class="nx">sss</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span>

        <span class="na">SubSubSection</span>
        <span class="o">-------------</span>

<span class="nx">ssss</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span>

        <span class="na">SubSubSubSection</span>
        <span class="o">^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^</span>

<span class="nx">sssss</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span>

        <span class="na">SubSubSubSubSection</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="o">!</span><span class="p">)</span>
        <span class="s2">&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;&quot;</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="section" id="method-documentation">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id3">Method Documentation</a><a class="headerlink" href="#method-documentation" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>When documenting class methods for third party developers, Sphinx provides
directives to assist and keep things simple.
For example, consider the following ReST:</p>
<div class="highlight-rst"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="p">..</span> <span class="ow">php:class</span><span class="p">::</span> Some_class

<span class="p">        ..</span> <span class="ow">php:method</span><span class="p">::</span> some_method ( $foo [, $bar [, $bat]])

                This function will perform some action. The <span class="s">``$bar``</span> array must contain
                a something and something else, and along with <span class="s">``$bat``</span> is an optional
                parameter.

                <span class="nc">:param int $foo:</span> <span class="nf">the foo id to do something in</span>
                <span class="nc">:param mixed $bar:</span> <span class="nf">A data array that must contain a something and something else</span>
                <span class="nc">:param bool $bat:</span> <span class="nf">whether or not to do something</span>
                <span class="nc">:returns:</span> <span class="nf">FALSE on failure, TRUE if successful</span>
                <span class="nc">:rtype:</span> <span class="nf">bool</span>

                <span class="se">::</span>

<span class="s">                        $this-&gt;load-&gt;library(&#39;some_class&#39;);</span>

<span class="s">                        $bar = array(</span>
<span class="s">                                &#39;something&#39;             =&gt; &#39;Here is this parameter!&#39;,</span>
<span class="s">                                &#39;something_else&#39;        =&gt; 42</span>
<span class="s">                        );</span>

<span class="s">                        $bat = $this-&gt;some_class-&gt;should_do_something();</span>

<span class="s">                        if ($this-&gt;some_class-&gt;some_method(4, $bar, $bat) === FALSE)</span>
<span class="s">                        {</span>
<span class="s">                                show_error(&#39;An Error Occurred Doing Some Method&#39;);</span>
<span class="s">                        }</span>

<span class="p">                ..</span> <span class="ow">note</span><span class="p">::</span> Here is something that you should be aware of when using some_method().
                                For real.

                See also <span class="na">:meth:</span><span class="nv">`Some_class::should_do_something`</span>


<span class="p">        ..</span> <span class="ow">php:method</span><span class="p">::</span> should_do_something()

                <span class="nc">:returns:</span> <span class="nf">Whether or not something should be done</span>
                <span class="nc">:rtype:</span> <span class="nf">bool</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>It creates the following display:</p>
<dl class="class">
<dt id="Some_class">
<em class="property">class </em><tt class="descname">Some_class</tt><a class="headerlink" href="#Some_class" title="Permalink to this definition">¶</a></dt>
<dd><dl class="method">
<dt id="Some_class::some_method">
<tt class="descname">some_method</tt><big>(</big><em>$foo</em><span class="optional">[</span>, <em>$bar</em><span class="optional">[</span>, <em>$bat</em><span class="optional">]</span><span class="optional">]</span><big>)</big><a class="headerlink" href="#Some_class::some_method" title="Permalink to this definition">¶</a></dt>
<dd><p>This function will perform some action. The <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">$bar</span></tt> array must contain
a something and something else, and along with <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">$bat</span></tt> is an optional
parameter.</p>
<table class="docutils field-list" frame="void" rules="none">
<col class="field-name" />
<col class="field-body" />
<tbody valign="top">
<tr class="field-odd field"><th class="field-name">Parameters:</th><td class="field-body"><ul class="first simple">
<li><strong>$foo</strong> (<em>int</em>) &#8211; the foo id to do something in</li>
<li><strong>$bar</strong> (<em>mixed</em>) &#8211; A data array that must contain a something and something else</li>
<li><strong>$bat</strong> (<em>bool</em>) &#8211; whether or not to do something</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="field-even field"><th class="field-name">Returns:</th><td class="field-body"><p class="first">FALSE on failure, TRUE if successful</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="field-odd field"><th class="field-name">Return type:</th><td class="field-body"><p class="first last">bool</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="highlight-ci"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nv">$this</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span><span class="na">load</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span><span class="na">library</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s1">&#39;some_class&#39;</span><span class="p">);</span>

<span class="nv">$bar</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="k">array</span><span class="p">(</span>
        <span class="s1">&#39;something&#39;</span>             <span class="o">=&gt;</span> <span class="s1">&#39;Here is this parameter!&#39;</span><span class="p">,</span>
        <span class="s1">&#39;something_else&#39;</span>        <span class="o">=&gt;</span> <span class="mi">42</span>
<span class="p">);</span>

<span class="nv">$bat</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="nv">$this</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span><span class="na">some_class</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span><span class="na">should_do_something</span><span class="p">();</span>

<span class="k">if</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="nv">$this</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span><span class="na">some_class</span><span class="o">-&gt;</span><span class="na">some_method</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="mi">4</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="nv">$bar</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="nv">$bat</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="o">===</span> <span class="k">FALSE</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="p">{</span>
        <span class="nx">show_error</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s1">&#39;An Error Occurred Doing Some Method&#39;</span><span class="p">);</span>
<span class="p">}</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="first admonition-title">Note</p>
<p class="last">Here is something that you should be aware of when using some_method().
For real.</p>
</div>
<p>See also <tt class="xref py py-meth docutils literal"><span class="pre">Some_class::should_do_something()</span></tt></p>
</dd></dl>

<dl class="method">
<dt id="Some_class::should_do_something">
<tt class="descname">should_do_something</tt><big>(</big><big>)</big><a class="headerlink" href="#Some_class::should_do_something" title="Permalink to this definition">¶</a></dt>
<dd><table class="docutils field-list" frame="void" rules="none">
<col class="field-name" />
<col class="field-body" />
<tbody valign="top">
<tr class="field-odd field"><th class="field-name">Returns:</th><td class="field-body">Whether or not something should be done</td>
</tr>
<tr class="field-even field"><th class="field-name">Return type:</th><td class="field-body">bool</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</dd></dl>

</dd></dl>

</div>
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